Various scientific and patent publications are referred to herein. Each is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Catalysts are important materials for the use in the synthesis of chemical compounds, such as petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, polymers, and the like. One class of catalysts that has received a great deal of attention in this respect is that of oxide-supported metal catalysts, which are used in numerous industrial applications. Much progress has been made in determining the relationship between catalytic activity and the size, shape, and distribution of metal particles or films on a wide range of oxide supports. Studies have also begun to elucidate the effect of the support material on the properties of the catalytic metal surface, showing that the surface polarization, acidity, and geometry, as well as the concentration of surface defects, all play a significant role in determining the behavior of the catalyst. However, the ability to vary and control the properties of catalytic materials in real time during a chemical synthesis is still lacking. Accordingly, there remains the need to be able to actively control the polarization of catalytic materials which would have great utility in providing “tunable catalysis”.